Color Mixing Intensive: Spring Wildflowers

Color mixing is one of art’s most joyful processes, but without a strong foundation, it can be a guessing game. This workshop will share a powerful system for accurate color mixing and painting with watercolor to reveal spring’s fleeting palette. We’ll paint indoors and out, both systematically and intuitively, to create color studies inspired by direct observation of the diverse array of spring flora we’ll have right outside the door at Chimney Rock. Step-by-step exercises, beginning with the creation of a beautiful color wheel, we will demystify color theory and build a reference source for color mixing and painting strategies applicable to watercolor, gouache, ink, acrylic, and oil. Our focus will be carefully observing and painting pure color, rather than rendering images. Techniques will include painting wet into wet, glazing, and other ways to build layers to evoke the complexity, luminosity and depth we see in nature. Discussions will cover color theory, paint pigment properties, and details about art materials. You’ll head home with a series of powerful studies for future reference and inspiration. All levels welcome. Accommodations included at the Historic Lifeboat Station.